John 12:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

NIV: for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

NASB: because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

CSB: because he was the reason many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.

NLT: for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

KJV: Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

NKJV: because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The gospel of John typically uses the phrase "the Jews" to refer to the main religious body of Jerusalem: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, as well as the laymen who loyally follow them. Many of those once-loyal followers, it seems, are willing to follow evidence to its logical conclusion. They see proof of Jesus' preaching (John 11:9), and so they follow.

Despite all the evidence that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be (John 20:30–31), there are those who will never accept any evidence, at all. This is because the "belief" which saves a person is a product of one's own preferences; for some people, even that which is obvious will never be enough (Romans 1:18–20). Jesus' most fervent critics have rejected everything up to and including Scripture in their stubbornness (John 5:39–40). Recently, they even responded to a spectacular miracle—the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:38–44)—with an increased resolve to have Jesus killed (John 11:53)!

That willful blindness leads to extended hatred, even to people like Lazarus, who also comes under the threat of violence (John 12:10). His crime is nothing more than being a living testimony to the power and divinity of Jesus Christ. The men who oppose Jesus are angered at the number of people who see Lazarus, dead four days and now living, and see it as proof of Jesus' ministry. Their answer is to have that evidence removed, by plotting the death of the resurrected man.

Tradition suggests Lazarus fled to Cyprus, possibly becoming a bishop there. Neither history nor Scripture give us any explicit resolution about his earthly fate.

John 12:9–11 shows how committed Jesus' enemies are to rejecting His message. In chapter 11, Jesus raised Lazarus from death in a public, unmistakable miracle. Rather than accepting this proof of His divinity, local religious leaders committed to having Jesus killed. Here, they show that they're also willing to murder the resurrected man, since he's living proof of Jesus' power. Any question about the sincerity of Jesus' religious critics is laid to rest here: they're literally willing to kill the innocent, and cover up evidence, in order to oppose Him.

Jesus is treated to an honorary dinner at the home of Lazarus, whom He has recently raised from death. At this dinner, Lazarus' sister, Mary, anoints Jesus with expensive oil. Jesus then enters Jerusalem to great fanfare, stoking fears that His popularity will attract the anger of the Roman Empire. That anger even inspires a murder plot against Lazarus. After being approached by non-Jewish seekers, Jesus offers a final plea for people to understand His ministry. In effect, these are the last public words spoken by Jesus in the gospel of John.

In the prior chapter, Jesus spectacularly raised Lazarus from death in front of a crowd of witnesses. This inspired local religious leaders to commit to having Him killed. Here, after a celebratory dinner where Jesus is anointed with oil, He will fulfill prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, celebrated with shouts of ''Hosanna'' and a massive crowd. This leads to a group of curious non-Jews approaching Him. Christ then offers a final plea for belief in Him and His message. After this, His ministry will turn to preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. The next several chapters of the gospel of John are almost entirely made up of his teachings to these men.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.